funny thing for me to blog on

You won't believe this is what I'm choosing to blog on but anyone who I've raved live to on this product knows I am Hooked !!
If you aren't using daily shower spray in your shower you for sure are working to hard to clean. I love Daily Shower Spray, its available in a hundred variations from the Chic bottle Method has to the basic Safeway variety. They all work great and here's the deal, it takes no effort to spray the glass and when you get home later its like the cleaning lady was there ! Seriously, this is the most underrated product ever. I am convinced that the only reason my glass doors look so good after 3 years is my semi diligent use of shower spray. I know this product is great because my use really is half ass and I'm not always even the last one in the shower, so factor that in and this is a really really great product sector !

This is the real spirit of Eye Spy I Buy, if its great it needs to get its due so go out and get yourself some shower spray its way cheaper than daily maid service

Re use but maybe for the actual use !

Well that whole use a product for another use almost always works, but in the case of conditioner, not so good.
Oh well, i tried , so hope the maid at the hotel likes it when i leave it behind next time. Does anyone else do that? I can't tell you the number of open bottles ,used once, of nail polish remover I've left in hotel rooms over the years ! I should leave a note i suppose but if i were a cleaning lady i sure the hell would not be throwing out nail polish remover or hairspray left behind. I'm always thrilled when a house guest leaves something , its like ohhhh !something new to try for free !
So for the record if your coming to stay , plan to leave lighter !
Have a gorgeous day all !

Frugalista the cosmetic approach

Anyone who knows me, knows i'm always trying to push a lipstick that's just not the right thing for me, the gloss i hate the taste of
so it should come as no shock that it kills me to have hair care products i hate but can't bring myself to toss !
so that's how i discovered body lotion as shaving cream ( best idea ever !) you cut down time, no shivvers as you lotion up in a freezing bathroom, and you even smell better longer!
Ok so today's experiment, which ill have to advise on later.....using curl deactivator creme as conditioner, so far so good, went on even better rinsed faster, and maybe will have straightening powers after the dry? i just hate the way they make my hair feel crunchy, not so much that i don't have like 5 in the drawer, each time hoping this product will be the ONE!
Will advise if this is the trick to clean out the drawer !
I do love the Re-Use idea !
Have a gorgeaus day all !

Do Not Try This at Home ( the gel nail version)

I hope you didn't all run out and get thos OPI gel nails!
Well as crazy as i was about them 3 weeks ago the bloom is slightly off the rose.

Here is the insane thing though ,this week i had to go to Cal Poly Pomona for a work tour and in the process met all the folks at the paints and finishes lab that actually created the product. Isn't that crazy ? Luckily i was still in love and they were wearing well at that time.
I knew it was true also when the knew exactly the color of the gels i was wearing !

However, after a short bout of dish washing on Thanksgiving day 7 or 10 were off, and i was really only prepping the dishes for the dishwasher , so don't imagine me in the prison kitchen !

So I took myself to Sally Beauty supply and bought myself my own non UV light gel kit. Major mistake. There is a reason why they are professionals . I'm not saying i won't go back for the real deal, however, it did kind of limit any creative expression when you have to select a color for life.

I did know a super classy lady once who only wore one shade of Chanel polish, but really how many people do you know who live like that?

So all in all I do think the OPI system is the best colored gel system out there, more importantly I loved the RobbSalon. The calm nature of the salon and its beautiful interior design and still at the tops of my list.

However it is in the Valley , so for the local Silverlake/Los Feliz girls, my vote still goes to Gloss on Sunset. For sure not as fancy, not as elegant, but really isn't that why we are in this neighborhood and not the Valley to begin with !

Gloss Rocks on !

And no matter what, do not try and do it at home ! Spread the wealth and look fabulous ! No one is allowed to look at my hands until these claws drop off !

Nail Envy you say?

When it comes to Nails they don't come any tougher on them than me, so i was really thrilled to read the recent press on OPI Axxium. Its their relatively new ( not really easy to find) colored gel lacquer system. Its a professional applied gel polish that lasts 2-3 weeks without touch ups.

Recent press on the ROB/B Salon in Studio City made it really the only destination choice. Seriously close all the other nail salons in this state down. I did look up who else offered the Axxium system, and thank god i called. I never seriously thought the two places in the city were Glendale and ROB/B . Really Glendale? and i was correct! The highly amusing conversation i had with the desk lady at the " alleged' shop that had access to the gel system made it sound like i was asking her if she had access to the formula for plutonium. Seriously where do they find these people!

So i quickly called ROB/B , had an appt within 15 minutes, and damn these gorgeous nails in under an hour. You do make a commitment with the color you choose so you kind of have to love it. But seriously is there better polish than OPI, and the colors are to die for , so you don't have to think to hard.

I'm on day 2 and they honestly look as good as the minute they were done. In 2 weeks you go back and get the " impervious" seal broken and they paint over, no horrible filing or damage for prep. No thick cheap acyclic look, and I'm hoping just that tiny little extra bit of strength i need.

I can't rave enough about the place! Its beautiful ! I understood every word spoken in the salon.
I had wonderful conversation with my nail tech ( who i am so lax at forgetting his name) but i swear I'll credit him when i return in two weeks.

Dear readers , it also never hurts to go to a salon where the owner has actual pedigree, and owner R, really does have OPI DNA!

I know i don't usually get site specific, and maybe i should be raving about the product, but you can't really embellish fabulous . The product just rocks, like i knew it would. My only hope is it becomes readily available for everyone !

We as Americans need to put an end to those horrible thick Stripper/Orange County nails !!!!!!!! We need to get as classy as the people in the White House ladies, so lets soak off the acrylics, and get with the lovely Axxium gels !

And if you are anywhere near Studio City get into the ROB/B salon, and enjoy a beautiful space and lovely nails all at the same time! ( If i find out they serve wine, i'm moving in )

ROB/B Salon
12246 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
818 980 7622

Don't be afraid ! shop all the beauty aisles at CVS

When i was a single girl in RI, my favorite no date Saturday night thing was to prowl the aisles of CVS and buy myself beauty treats. So fast forward 20 years and its still one of my very favorite pick me ups. In fact when i first moved to California, the only CVS was at least 20 miles away in Panorama City, which was not Panoramic then and hasn't improved with age. I would drive out there on an occasional Saturday morning and pretend i was in the promised land of Providence . Thank God you only have to go 20 blocks now to find a CVS.

How lucky are we to be able to just walk in a drugstore and have it filled with a million variations on joy! Which brings me to that strange section of products labeled primarily in Spanish. Now my CVS has an entire section loaded with cool looking stuff that sometimes you can figure out what its for and sometimes well maybe you take your chances. I bought a product called Concha Nacar de Perlop. It has a lovely Neptune shell on the jar with the # 3, which must mean its # times the power and under 5.00. What does it do you say? It says it will fade spots and scars and is made with Oyster shell powder ...does it work ? Well i can't really vouch for the working part,,,,,,,,but it is so fun to use! Its like a thick masky paste, but its kind of sweet smelling . Imagine if plaster of paris , dry wall and honey got together with some oil and had a rave,,,,,,,,,yeah that's what it would be like. I've had it for about 3 months and i can honestly say its just a kick to open the jar up and discover its un-usual-ness every time.
That why shopping that aisle is so fun, where else will you find tomato , goat milk and other unusual soaps for under 3.00!
So far I've tried some lovely rose scented body oil, great soaps, this unusual cream, and have only struck out with one horribly skunk scented splash !

So our moral here is shop all aisles, bodegas , 99c stores and clearance centers,,,,,,,,,when it comes to cosmetics remember be brave , be bold and be bilingual !

glamazon tan-o-rama

As promised i went and compiled the list of all the self tanners currently in my possession
and even if they were at the very least 5.oo, which you know they were not, lets just say i have a pair of shoes in self tanner !

Just for clarification, i am rating self tanners only, not the gradual body lotion type. That could be an entire other topic and another pair of shoes !

Let's cut to the chase, if your in the market for self tanner go straight to Bath and Body Works and get yourself True Blue Spa Strike Gold lotion with bronzer. Now that's this years model, it used to be called just True Blue bronzer. I have to tell you i had stockpiled the original when i realized i loved the product and i was crushed when i thought it was gone. The original was maybe just a bit more gel like, but even though the new model is called " lotion" i don't find it to lotioney and i still use it on my face. There is a difference in the scent , but basically they both smell wonderful, have a great level of bronze , which i use it instead of foundation so that's an important factor with me. Its about 15.oo, your biggest challenge will be getting out of the store without spending another 50.00 on their other products.

If you are adverse to the mall and getting to Bath and Body works, or super anxious, just get to your local drugstore and pick up L'oreal's sublime bronze. Honestly it was a very close second to the BBworks item. Also smells great, and has a lovely level of bronze right out of the tube.
And who doesn't look good in a little glimmer right out of the gate ,right!
In a separate category, and very much less used by me, i also have the towelettes by L'oreal, and i like them, but i don't use them very often, great on trips but not immediate, its a clear fluid so good luck!

In the fancy range, I liked Too Faced : Tanning Bed in a tube enough to give it to several girlfriends for mothers day. Smells good , very golden, but not for the face. I keep it by the pool so its definitely in my favor. I did notice at least one of my giftee's did not use it, so my love of self tanner may not be for everyone ( and yes i saw it unopened in the medicine cabinet ! so sue me)

For the one I dislike the most, lets try Clarins gelee' self tanning instant gel express. That must be french for Bullshit ! First off its clear ( how's that for instant , i bought this on a serious recommendation from some magazine , so again who's on the dole right?) smells like something very very chemical and if you ever squeeze if out of the tube at the counter ( because i forbid you to buy this product) you will know what i mean. It looks like a questionable body fluid. Run from the clarins counter, even the Face version is overpriced, smells bad , run to cvs and get the L'oreal.

MAC, tint and tan, so dark you'll be washing your hands for 10 minutes, maybe that is why it was at the cosmetic outlet store. Skip this one entirely, you will look like a clown.

Avon: OK so you know I'm a HUGE fan of their MARK line, the bronzing self tanner, instant vacation is OK , and even the face one is OK. Only get these if you can't find L'oreal or Bath and Body works.

Glow Fusion spray: Now i had really high expectations for this one. First off its expensive , like in the 30.+ range, once again, i love that Sephora, i went in did my face test and went home. Thank god i did not pop for this one at full price, just really not that great. The copy for this product is unbelievable ( and i guess really it is unbelievable) is toutes special proteins, no smell---yeah whatever. Also no tan. I did however pick it up for like 9.00 at TJ maxx and its the liquid i did my own " cloths" with , and as a cheap no color alternative, not bad. Only buy this on sale and don't expect much. Picture a Northern Ireland tan and you won't be disappointed.

Model Co Tan gloves. Another TJ Maxx purchase , i like this glove idea , but its clear, so your really on your own for levelness. I never do what they tell you to pre scrub, or hang around for it to dry, so the gloves are nice cause they dry fast,but the mistakes can be funny. Don't do the clear unless you have a fine sense of humor. Another thing , something about the single use strikes me as wasteful, so like my grandmother i end up saving them cause " they are to good to use ", considering they were about 8.00, another sign of my frugal but mental state of mind.

Victoria Secret: Bare Bronze face tint, a bit to heavy, again like a glamazon.......don't bother !

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, tinted self tan. I saved the biggest slam for last. I can not believe some mag said this smelled good, and did not develop that trademark slightly weird smell that lets face it , if it works, its going to have that funky smell. I can only hope that i smell it but I'm hoping no one else can? I seriously do not self tan on work days below the neck because i think it could be perceived as not such a pleasant whiff. : Like did you carpool with a skunk this morning? or not change a litter box. I'm just saying, self tanning is tricky stuff.
Back to topic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,big waste of money, yes it works, its got a milky bronzy look out of the tube, not as cool as the Too Faced which is also in the more $ category. For sure did not live up to any of the hype that was written about it, again get to CVS get the L'Oreal, or to Bath and Bodyworks.

So that dear readers is all that i know about self tanner, and as i sit here blogging isn't it the epitome of multi-tasking.........I'm stepping away from the computer to my Saturday Night so much tanner than when i sat down !